Something Wicked this Way Comes
by AnaxibiaClark
Summary: Lester recruits a new member who knows more about what goes bump in the night. But is the team prepared, when a whole new threat begins to arrive through the anomalies?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic that I've ever posted and it's one that I've been repeating in my head over and over again, so I figured, what the hell I'll start writing it up. It's a short chapter, but it may give you guys an idea of what's to come.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character's in Primeval. Although, I do own Alina Thompson.**

**Chapter 1**

"Lester!" An angry voice boomed, as an unfamiliar figure threw open the double doors leading into the main floor of the ARC. "I need to talk to Lester right _now_!"

"Ah, here's our new recruit now, and she's late." Lester casually said before letting the woman finish. "Everyone meet Alina Thompson, she'll be working alongside you all until a more permanent replacement comes along." Seeing the way she was coming towards him, he sighed to himself, "if she _lasts_ that long."

Alina approached Lester with fury in her eyes, she reached out and grabbed him by his tie and pulled him towards her. "What the hell were you thinking…?" She began, before realizing she could hear guns cock as several ARC soldiers surrounded them.

"Now," Lester said, in a low but angry voice, "if I were you Mrs. Thompson, I'd let me go and we can talk about this issue like civilized people. Or perhaps you would like my men to shoot you where you stand."

She let him go with a forceful push, causing him to stumble into one of the desks behind him. He stood, then straightened his tie before escorting Alina to his office.

Alina followed behind Lester, still fuming, as the entire team, with the exception of Danny, looked at one another. The first to speak up was Abby.

"What the hell was that all about, Danny, and why are you covered in blood?" She looked over to him as she asked this last question. This seemed to be the question they all had on their minds when the new recruit had come in with Danny behind her; both of them covered in blood.

Danny didn't seem to move nor did he respond, he just sat on the edge of a desk looking dazed. Abby watched him for a few moments before approaching him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you even hear me?" She asked, as he jumped at the sound of her voice. Abby's face showed growing concern and a sickening thought came over her. "Danny what's going on? What happened out there when you went to pick up the new girl?"

He looked up at her, still unsure of what or even how to tell her; knowing that she may crumble right before him.

Simultaneously they both looked to Lester's office, things had gotten a little more heated in there, they could hear the muffled yelling from where they stood.

Danny got up from where he was perched, heading towards the ramp. Abby caught up to him, grabbing him by his wrist, "Danny, what the _hell_ is going on? You're our leader, you're not supposed to keep things from us."

He stopped, a pained look on his face, he glanced towards the office, back to Abby, and sighed. All he said was, "right now I need to figure out what's going on myself, before I bring the lot of you in on it, yeah?" Then, removing her hand from his wrist, he started up the ramp, slowly making his way to his destination.

******The next chapter will hopefully be up soon. Please take the time to review my first chapter, whether you enjoyed it or downright found it god awful. Thanks! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I juggled chapter two along with tons of class projects, so I hope it's worth the read. Also, I want to give credit to my husband for helping me with the editing of this story and tolerating my obsession with Primeval.**

**Chapter 2**

Lester opened the door to his office and calmly strode towards his chair. The room shuddered as Alina slammed the door behind her.

"Great, we're in your office, let's talk about what a sadistic bastard you are." Alina spat, her sarcasm barely hidden.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you Mrs. Thompson," Lester snapped, as he sat in his chair, "or I'll have you sent back to the States. Expert or no expert, I will not tolerate such behavior in front of my people."

"Good thing we're alone then, because maybe you can tell me why I was never informed about this infestation in the first place."

"I can assure you that I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, don't play a game of _Bullshit_ with me! I _know_ what I saw! And believe you me, it wasn't pretty!" Her voice rising as she spoke. "This isn't child's play anymore 'Director.' You've got a team of scientists whose idea of trouble is an afternoon spent playing with dinosaurs." She leaned in close, her hands leaving smears of blood on his desk, "We're not talking about animals that hunt on instinct. No, we're talkin' about sadists here. Sick _freaks_ who love torturing their victims; tearing into them, making sure they feel the pain of having skin and muscle pulled from their bodies. And that's _before_ bleeding them dry!"

Lester stared at her for a moment, "You're quite serious aren't you?"

"You still haven't answered my question," Alina growled, "why wasn't I informed about this?"

Lester rose from his seat, his voice clipped with barely controlled rage, "Mrs. Thompson, I was given your name by the minister, saying you were the best anthropologist for this job. I was never given any more information on whatever the hell else it is that you do. All I was told was to contact your headquarters and send out the private information on the issue. He never gave me anything else on the matter at hand. So, you might as well blame your own people."

"Augh!" She yelled, throwing her hands in the air. "That's not the point. You may not go out in the field, but it's your responsibility to make sure your men stick together and not stray away."

Lester slammed his fist onto the desk, hard. "The _point_, Mrs. Thompson," he hollered, "is that you come storming in here with my team leader, the both of you covered in blood, and without a by-your-leave you start lecturing me on how I run my operation and babbling on about a new breed of boogie-men."

Alina opened her mouth to shout a reply when the door to Lester's office opened and Danny walked in. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No," Lester said, shooting a glare at Alina. "Our friend here was just starting to explain your new choice in wardrobe. Something about a new breed of monster and our men in the field." His regular control in place once more, he smoothed the folds of his jacket before sitting down. "Care to bring a light to this situation?"

"Lester," Danny paused, struggling for words, "it's true, and it's bad. I was on the force for years and I've never seen something this gruesome. He was almost torn apart by the time we got there, but they, whatever they were, looked human."

Alina shot Lester a glare, "Now do you believe me? And no, Danny, not human," she said, looking over at him, "they may look human from head to toe, but they are not."

Leaning forward, Lester frowned, "Let's say, for just a moment, that I believe your outlandish story. What exactly are we dealing with here?"

"What they are, are abominations to mankind." Alina's face was grim as she spoke, "I've dealt with them over the past few years and I had _thought_ I was done with them. While we never had an appropriate name for them, most people saw them as Vampyres."

Danny looked to Lester and back. "What do you mean by Vampyres?" He asked.

"Blood suckers and flesh eaters, mostly." She began popping her left knuckle as she thought, seemingly unaware of it while she spoke. "But they aren't the undead, they don't react to sunlight, or religious symbols, and, as we all know, Vampyres only exist in books."

Folding his arms, Danny took a breath and let it out slowly, "So, what can we expect if more of them come through the anomaly?"

"If there are more of them," She ground her teeth, " and I pray there aren't. Well, think of how we found your friend there, how much flesh he was missing. As I told Lester before, not only do they feed, they torture."

She turned again to Lester, hands on her hips, "If your superiors said to bring me in under false pretences-."

"Then they must know more about what's going on," Danny finished for her.

"Yes," Lester said, "I believe we were all coming to that conclusion." He reached for a folder on his desk, "It would appear that I have some phone calls to make. While I'm trying to make sense of all this mess, you two had better clean yourselves up."

They started for the door, but paused as he said, "Although that reminds me, which team member did you say it was that you found?"

* * *

Down on the main floor of the ARC, work had returned to normal as the yelling from Lester's office had settled down; Abby scanned the crowd of busy people.

Sarah glanced up from her project, "Something wrong Abby?"

Abby turned to her, a growing look of concern on her face, "Where's Connor?"

**Now that you've read this, please review and tell me what you think, good or bad. I'm open to listening, especially since this is my first fanfic.**

**It may take me a bit to put Chapter 3 up, since I'm working out a few kinks still.**


	3. Chapter 3 Part 1

**It took me forever to finally complete, well, part one of chapter 3. It's quite a long chapter that's why I chose to break it up into two parts, make it a little bit more of an easy read for you guys. So, I hope you enjoy.**

**Minor Disclaimer: Primeval is not mine; I don't own the characters or location in any way. The only character I own is Alina Thompson.**

**Chapter 3-Part 1**

Compared to the excitement of the past few weeks, it was a relatively quiet morning at the ARC. Several scientists and engineers busied themselves at their workstations, and, as more people began to arrive, the air filled with the various sounds of work. Connor Temple lounged in his chair in front of the ADD, clicking away at the keyboard, adding to the pleasant hum of human activity throughout the building.

"You're in early?" Connor heard, as Abby approached him from behind and placed her hands on the back of his chair.

"Yeah, I know," he said, still typing codes into the machine. "I figured if I got an early start on diagnostics, the detector would run a lot smoother before the next anomaly appears. Plus, it gets Lester off my…" Before that final word was out of his mouth the lights flickered and the detector went black.

"What the-? Oh, for cryin' out loud," he yelled, trying to bring the machine back to life. "What's causing the malfunction this time? Augh!" Hopping out of his chair he scrambled underneath the magnificent piece of machinery, muttering, "If it's not one thing it's another."

Abby stood back and watched as Connor disconnected and reconnected the wires from every port and outlet on the detector. It took a half an hour before he could figure out what the issue was. A power surge had overloaded the surge-protectors and caused the ADD to shut down completely. As he brought the machine back online, the detector began to blare its alarm at full volume.

"Did we miss one again?" Abby asked as Connor began furiously typing away at the keyboard.

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head, "luckily I made sure the system had a back up source that traces any and all anomalies that may have occurred while the detector was offline."

"Where's the location?" Lester asked, as he appeared on the balcony above, heading towards the ramp.

"It's at Battersea Park, outside of Chelsea, but…" Connor paused, "the anomaly closed about five minutes again. Which means …"

"We probably should get there fast." Abby finished, grabbing her coat as she headed towards the double doors; the rest of the team started grabbing their gear to follow suit behind her.

"I'll contact Danny and let him know," Lester said, as he descended the ramp.

"Where is he?" Becker asked, checking the ammunition in his gun. "Trying to sneak into Christine Johnson's building?"

"Nothing so exciting," Lester paused for a moment before adding, "I hope." He shook his head, "No, he's out picking up the new recruit from the airport."

Becker slung the shotgun over his shoulder, "Right, the girl from the States."

"Yes," Lester drawled, "It is a _bit_ beyond me why we need another scientist, let alone an anthropologist."

"Perhaps she's cute, sir." Becker caught the look Lester gave him before he headed towards the carport.

* * *

"So, how was your flight?" Danny asked, as they waited at the baggage claim terminal.

"Well," she mused, while her bags rolled slowly towards them, "if you consider sitting next to a businessman, who "slyly" brushes up against your chest every chance he gets, to be a good flight, then _yes_ it was wonderful." She didn't bother hiding the sarcasm in her voice as she lifted one of her bags off the conveyer-belt.

Reaching to grab the rest of her luggage, Danny glanced at the crowd around them, "He'd be the one with his arm in a sling, yeah?"

She grinned wolfishly, "He was such a wuss. I only broke _one _finger."

Danny's own cockeyed grin met hers, "Good one on you then," he said. As they headed out of the terminal and into the car park, he held out his hand. "By the way, name's Danny Quinn."

Switching her dufflebag from one shoulder to the other, she took his proffered hand. "Alina Thompson, pleased to meet you."

As they shook, Danny couldn't help but notice how her dark skin and high cheekbones gave her an exotic look; one that he quite liked. He also noticed the wedding ring on her left hand.

"So," he said as they continued walking, "have you already been debriefed about what it is that we do at the ARC?"

"Yes, something about anomalies that open for a short period of time; reveal the past or future for some lucky or unlucky person; which makes us do damage control depending on what creature steps, or should I say, _runs_ through that particular rip in time."

"Yeah, that about sums it up." He looked over at her, "You don't seem too fazed by our job description."

"No, not at all. Actually, I find it quite fascinating." She tugged at a few strands of her hair that had blown across her face. "Plus, clocking time in the lab sounds a _hell_ of a lot better then what my husband and I have been doing for a living."

"And what might that be, if you don't mind my asking." Danny said as they approached the car.

Alina shrugged, "It's a can of worms, that's what it is."

Opening the trunk, Danny placed her suitcase inside. "Didn't know anthropology was so dangerous," he held out a hand, gesturing towards her duffle.

"You don't even know the half of it," she told him, handing over her bag.

Danny was placing it alongside the suitcase when he heard the front door open. Smiling he called out, "Wrong side there, love."

"Aw crap." Alina nearly tripped over her own feet as she made an abrupt u-turn. "I keep forgetting that."

Danny held the passenger door open for her as she made her way around the car.

"Thanks," she said as she ducked into the correct side.

Danny closed the door and headed for the driver's side, thinking to himself, _'I think I'm gonna like this girl.'_

His mobile phone rang as he reached his own door. "Quinn," he answered, getting into the car. "Yep, Alina's with me now. We're about to head for the ARC." He paused, listening to the voice on the other end. "All right then, sounds good, we'll head for Battersea instead and meet up with the rest of the team."

He hung up and looked over at Alina. "We have a change of plans." He said, as he turned the ignition. "We're meeting up with my team at Battersea Park, an anomaly just closed not too long ago and we may have a creature on the loose."

Alina shrugged, "Sounds good to me, bring it on. But remember," she said as Danny maneuvered the car towards the exit, "I signed on for lab time, not field work, so I don't want any nasty surprises. Okay?"

* * *

Since it was still pretty early in the morning, the team had arrived to an empty park. Ammunition was checked, headsets were tested, and local maps were consulted as Becker ordered everyone to split into groups to go looking for any signs of creature incursions.

"Keep your eyes open, your headsets on," Becker reminded them, "and above all, stick together."

"Check it out," Connor said to Abby, gesturing over his shoulder, "Action-man's starting to sound like me mother."

Abby looked up at the little blue light on his earpiece, "You do realize you switched your headset on before you said that?"

Connor's eyes went wide as he quickly looked behind him. Across the way, Becker had spotted him watching. He snapped two fingers towards his own eyes before leveling a finger at him.

Turning back to Abby, Connor whispered, "Y-you think maybe he didn't notice?"

* * *

It was ten minutes later when Abby came across several droplets of blood on the ground. She crouched down to get a closer look as Connor approached.

"You find anything interesting?"

"I think we've got some blood over here," she said as she pulled out a swab and took a sample. "It still seems fresh," placing the swab back into the vial and capping it, she handed it over to Connor.

"Don't tell me," Connor groaned, "you want me to head back to the ARC and analyze that?"

"Come on Connor," she said, a smile creeping onto her face, "the sooner you get that analyzed, the sooner we can find out what we're dealing with."

"You know Abs," he grumbled, "I'm good at other things, not just analysis."

"Oh?" she asked, "Such as, shooting your teammates with a tranquilizer gun and leaving them as bait for a pair of hungry raptors?"

"Okay, first off, that only happened once. And besides, it was a complete accident. Neither of which, might I add, you have forgiven me for."

"I've forgiven you," she said as Connor took the vial. Then with a wicked smile on her face, "but I'm not going to let you forget about it just yet. Now, off with you."

"Fine, but you only have yourself to blame if I'm not around to protect you." Connor said loudly, as he walked away from Abby.

She smirked at his remark, stretching her legs as she stood. Glancing back, Connor watched her for, perhaps, a little longer than he'd meant to, almost tripping over a tree root as he did. Her thoughts still on the blood she found, Abby didn't notice his awkward exit. Scanning the woods in front of her, she decided to search the perimeter a little more before heading back to the car.

* * *

Reaching the area where they had parked the cars he stopped, mulling something over in his mind. Reaching a decision, he did a quick check over his shoulder which revealed that Abby was nowhere to be seen. Smiling to himself he ambled on over to the soldier who'd driven them there.

"Abby needs you to take this back to the ARC for analysis," he said, handing over the sample.

The soldier took the vial as he eyed Connor warily, "I thought Miss Maitland had you doing her analysis? You know, after you got that weird mold all over her temperature control room."

"Yes, well, we're done with that now and besides," he grinned, doing a corny version of 'the wink and the gun,' "what she doesn't know won't hurt her, yeah? Also, I have a hunch that I would like to follow through with. So, let's just leave this little secret between you and me, shall we?" He said, as he slapped the man on the shoulder.

The soldier looked at him for a moment longer before he nodded and climbed into the vehicle.

"Yes!" Connor did a quick victory celebration before heading off into the woods.

* * *

It wasn't long before Connor found himself somewhat lost towards the northern end of the lake. At least, he _thought _it was the northern end. He double checked the digital compass in his watch and was pretty sure it said North. Sidestepping a few fallen limbs that lined the wooded area of the lake, he searched for any signs that may lead to a creature. No one had chosen to go very far from the car park, so he had a hunch that what they were looking for would be further out.

Besides, he reassured himself, he'd watched Stephen track down animals more than a dozen times. It should be a piece of cake for a guy like him. Although the more he thought about it, as he made his way through the thickening forest, the more he wondered if maybe it really hadn't been a hunch. Maybe he had just found himself wanting to do more than just analyze samples and hook up electronics. True, Connor loved the second part of that set up, but he was starting to get bored with the routine he fell into. He wanted a chance to show Abby, even the whole team, that he can be useful outside of the genius façade that he was so proud of.

As he walked slowly up the outskirts of the lake, he found that his path began to lead into a denser area of woods. The sunlight was still creeping its way into this part of the woods, its advance partially blocked by a multitude of twisting branches and tall tree trunks. Connor was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the bird song around him, but even he became partially aware as the songs began to lapse into silence. Connor looked around himself, unsure as to why this sudden absence of noise made him feel uneasy.

The quiet was suddenly broken by the sounds of snapping twigs, and heavy breathing as something large tore its way through the thick underbrush. Whatever it was, it seemed to be headed straight for him, but Connor couldn't tell from which direction. The sound seemed to come from all around him.

"Guys," panic rising in his voice, "I think there's something- Oh shit!" Connor swore as he quickly realized he'd turned off his headset earlier.

He was still fumbling for the button when something heavy slammed into him. Connor found himself on the ground, covered in blood and gasping for air as a dark shadow came down on top of him.

**I know, I know another cliff hanger. I seem to be doing this quite a bit. Please review, you'll make my alter-ego very happy if you do so. :D**

**Once again, it may take me a bit to finish chapter 3. I'm coming towards finals week and I've got a lot on my plate, but I promise part two will be posted once I'm through with my finals.**

**Thank you all for reading my fanfic. :)**


	4. Chapter 3 Part 2

**Sorry it took me so long to post the final part to chapter 3. It's been a busy three weeks for me; between being sick, having to deal with Fall Semester Finals and Christmas shopping, I'm about ready to pull my hair out. It's been worth it though and I hope you guys enjoy the read.**

**Chapter 3-Part 2**

Gasping for air, Connor twisted his body around; trying to see what was holding him down. Looking up, he found a lifeless pair of eyes staring back at him. An athletic, middle-aged man lay sprawled across him, his dead weight pinning Connor to the ground. The man's blood was beginning to soak through Connor's clothes, the damp warmth spread, making them stick to his body. Words seemed to catch in his throat as he began to panic. Breathing franticly, he kicked wildly with his legs, shunting himself out from under the man, trying to touch him as little as possible. Once free, he scrambled onto his feet, only to have his legs go limp, sending him crashing back down. He landed hard, driving the heels of his hands into the roots of a tree. Numbness spread down his wrists; he was shocked to see that his palms looked as if he had dragged them across a cheese grater.

Connor found himself trying to avoid looking at the body that lay next to him. He knew blood, he'd seen blood, hell, he was watching his own dribble down his arms right now; but deep down Connor had no desire to see it coming out of someone else. Except, he also knew that he _had_ to look, _had_ to know what might have killed the man.

Connor realized that he was shaking. _'Damn it,'_ he thought, squeezing his eyes shut, _'I've seen dead bodies before. I can do this, I can do this, I can-.'_ A gurgling caught his attention.

Slowly looking over, Connor saw that the man was breathing again, his breath coming in ragged gasps as fresh blood began to bubble out of his mouth.

"Oh God," Connor whimpered.

Hearing his voice, the man, painfully, turned his head, eyes struggling to focus as he reached out for help. Connor's attention was concentrated on the man's arm; specifically the bits of skin and meat that dangled from his flesh like some horrific version of a child's mobile. Although it was somehow the pearly white of exposed bone that caused bile to rise in his throat.

Swallowing hard, he tried once again to get up off the ground. Staggering to his feet, Connor took a few shaky steps towards the man.

'_I gotta call for help,'_ he thought. Reaching for his earpiece he found it missing, knocked off when the man had crashed into him. It was during this realization that he suddenly heard something tearing through the woods; several somethings. He looked in the direction the man had come from, knowing this time that whatever it was, it was coming straight for them.

Swallowing hard, Connor glanced down at the man and back to the woods in front of him. He was still trying to make a decision when two young women burst from the underbrush and dove on the man.

Too shocked to move, Connor watched as they began tearing into their victim. The man's mouth stretched wide in an airless scream.

Connor began to panic again, turning, he ran.

Legs pumping, arms flying, Connor ran like he'd never run before.

He only made it ten yards when he felt a strong hand grab his wrist. Suddenly Connor's world went blurry as he was whipped around, his chest slamming into a tree. Black spots and sparks of light danced across his vision. The force of the impact had knocked the wind out of him, and his mouth moved as he desperately tried to re-inflate his lungs. He hugged the tree, trying to keep his balance as the pain started to set in. While no medical expert, Connor guessed that the pain in his chest was probably from a few cracked ribs. The agony coming from his left shoulder felt like he'd torn some tendons. Connor looked at his shoulder for a few moments, at the awkward way it hung from his body, before realizing that not only did the tendons tear, his shoulder was completely dislocated.

He huffed heavily, agony written across his face as he turned himself around; bracing himself against the tree, all while trying to avoid putting pressure on his bum shoulder in the process.

There was a woman standing next to him, that much he was sure of, the sunlight hid most of her features. One thing was for certain, he could see scarlet red covering her mouth and chest. Behind her, the other two were still busy feeding, the noise seemed to fill the woods around them.

"Look, what ever happened between you ladies and that bloke," Connor said, his words coming between each heavy breath; "I want nothing to do with. I'll keep my mouth shut, _hell_ I'll help you bury the guy, just-just leave me be, please."

A yelp escaped his mouth as Connor tried to readjust himself. He saw the woman's eyes grow wide as a smile crept across her face. "No!" He said trying to back away as she approached him. "Please, just leave me be, I won't go to the authorities, no harm no foul."

Her grin grew eerily wider, waging her index finger at him, she chuckled. "Tisk, tisk, tisk," she said, her voice disturbingly soft and melodic.

Her hand snaked out and grabbed Connor by his throat shoving him back against the tree so forcefully he let out a strained cry. Desperate to relieve the pressure, Connor grabbed at her arm with his working hand. It was like trying to move a cement pillar, no matter how hard he tugged, she wouldn't budge.

The woman watched him with obvious amusement on her face. "You aren't getting away that easily. Besides, what am I going to feed on now?" She looked towards the body as she spoke. "Poor dear," she sighed, tightening her grip on Connor's throat, "and I had wanted to play with him for just a _little _longer." She turned back, the eerie grin on her face once again, "but look, a new playmate."

Unbidden, Connor's eyes welled with tears from the pain.

"Oh, don't cry," the woman said. Her voice was sweet in an unsettling way as she took her thumb to wipe away the single tear that fell from his eye. "I'll be quick and…" she paused, bringing her hand back up to his face, she pressed her pointed thumb nail into his tear duct. Connor screamed and twisted in her grasp, as the nail bit deeper. "It's going to be very, very painful." The blood stung as it pooled in his eye before dribbling down his cheek.

* * *

Danny pulled into the Battersea car park; there were no other ARC vehicles in the lot. "They must have already gotten what they needed and headed back to base."

"Should we take a look around for ourselves?" Alina gestured towards the wooded area of the park. "Maybe we can spot something they missed."

"I thought you weren't interested in field work?"

"I'm not," she said as she opened the door, a curious grin on her face, "but since we're here, why not take a look around?"

Reaching around, Danny grabbed the handheld detector as Alina strolled casually towards the woods. A faint breeze rustled the trees, carrying the air past her face. Alina paused for a moment, "Something's not right."

Hearing her comment as he approached, Danny gave her a quizzical look. "What's not right?"

"If I'm right, we don't have time for me to explain the feeling I'm getting," she answered, trotting back to the car. Popping the trunk Alina started rummaging around inside her dufflebag. "If you have a weapon on hand you aught to bring it with you. And don't hesitate to aim for the head."

Danny grabbed his gun, checking the chamber before holstering it. He watched as Alina pulled a throwing knife from her bag and checked the blade. She bent down to attach the sheath to her calf, before grabbing a first aid kit.

Alina caught Danny watching her sling the kit over her shoulder, "Just in case we come across someone that's wounded."

"And the knife?"

"If I'm handed a gun I know how to use it. Besides," she did a quick double-check of her gear, "I prefer knives over guns." Danny didn't look very reassured, she shrugged, "It's an ammo thing."

Closing the trunk, she proceeded towards the lake. Danny found that he had to put on a light jog to catch up with her.

"So what exactly are we looking for? Did you catch something that I missed?" He asked, trying to keep pace with her quick march.

"Yeah, you could say that." She said as she made her way through the brush and debris. "Can't you smell it in the air?"

Avoiding some low branches, Danny turned his face to the wind and took a quick sniff. "What exactly are we smelling for, love?"

"Blood," she said quickening her pace.

"Blood! What blood? What are you going on about?" Danny grabbed her wrist, bringing them to a halt.

Alina turned to face Danny, "Blood is spilling right now, as we speak. And if we don't get there in time… it won't be good."

Danny loosened his grip on her wrist and she wriggled free. She was serious and he saw it in her eyes as she turned back towards the lake. "Do you have a plan?" he asked.

"Find the perpetrator, kill them, get the victim to safety, and pray to _god_ they live." She took a quick look back, "Sorry for being so dramatic sounding, but I need you on my side sooner rather than later. Can I rely on you to follow through with what I tell you to do? I know you're the leader, but this… what I'm feeling, is something that I know all too well." Alina's voice sounded strained, as if she was holding back her emotions. "It won't be pretty and I'm not willing to lose another civilian to this, _not again!_"

Danny nodded. "Alright," he said in a voice that he hoped sounded reassuring.

* * *

The woman hauled Connor away from the tree and let go watching as he dropped to the ground like a rag doll, his body made an audible thud. He let out a whimper as the pain hit him again.

"He's tainted," a voice drifted towards his ears. "I can smell it in his blood. You know what happens if we feed on them."

"I know what I'm doing!" A voice hissed; Connor knew it came from _her_. He tried to bring his knees to his chest, hoping he could crawl away while they were talking. Having only one good arm made this near impossible as the pain hampered his progress and left him even more defenseless.

"But we aren't familiar with this place," the other voice spoke again. It had to belong to one of the women who killed the jogger. "Being vulnerable, out in the open, it's going to get us killed if we're caught before we're done feeding."

"If you're so worried about getting caught, then _leave!_ I can handle this one on my own."

Connor heard footsteps moving off into the distance as he slowly tried to move away; doing his best to keep his left arm stable, gritting his teeth as he went.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" She'd turned her attention back to him. Connor tried to move quicker but he couldn't seem to drag himself fast enough.

"I'm not through with you yet." He felt a hand wrap around his ankle and jerk him backwards, sending him crashing to the ground.

"NO!" Connor cried out as she dragged him towards her. Kicking and thrashing, he scrabbled about in the dirt with his good hand, trying to find something to hold onto.

Her hand clamped down even tighter as she wrenched his ankle sideways, smiling at the satisfying 'pop' it made. Connor yelled as she let go of his ankle and grabbed a fist full of his hair. He let out another whimper, this time it wasn't very loud and she pulled even harder until he yelped.

"Please," he cried out as she lifted his head. "Just leave me alone." He finished in a low voice.

"I've only just begun." She whispered in his ear before throwing him back to the ground.

* * *

Danny watched as the American made her way through the woods. She gave the appearance that she was tracking a wounded animal. He began to take longer strides as he tried to keep pace with the tiny woman. He was shocked to see her move so quickly through the woods; she had given him the impression of someone for whom field work meant spending time watching out for rocks, roots, and the occasional rabbit hole. Now, with determination set on her face, she moved with such a strange, almost awkward elegance.

He refocused his attention on the situation at hand, "How bad can this get?"

"Bad," her voice steady, "and it will be nothing like what you find when a dinosaur comes out to play."

Danny froze, "then why aren't we calling for back up!"

Alina stopped dead in her tracks, then turned to face him. "Look, we can't waste time waiting for your men to return as backup." She spoke as she walked towards him. "I know what I'm doing and if you're too stubborn to help, that's fine. But I'm going ahead and would appreciate at least one other person to watch my back."

Danny watched as she turned on her heels and headed further into the woods. _'This is insane,'_ he thought as he began to follow her again. _'What kind of anthropologist goes charging out into the woods intent on killing something?'_

He almost bumped into her when she stopped abruptly, holding up her hand.

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

Straining his ears, Danny found he could hear faint screams in the distance. His eyes grew wide as he heard the scream, "How long before, whatever that is, finishes off its victim?"

"It all depends on their mood and how long they want to keep them alive." She said moving forward a bit more cautiously. "When they finally get bored with their victims that's when they end it." She moved slowly through the underbrush as she spoke. "Let's see if we can find them before boredom sets in."

* * *

Connor tried to move but the woman was straddling his torso now, making it difficult to even release his good arm. As he struggled, she wrapped a foot around the inside of both his thighs. With him so effectively pinned, she dug her knees deep into his sides; Connor whimpered as he heard his broken ribs start to splinter.

She'd done a number on him between his eye and the dislocated shoulder, he was in enough pain; but she had also torn into the tissue of his arms and chest as if she were digging for gold. Connor tried to hold back his cries, but as the sound of each tear echoed through his head, he failed to do so.

"You're handling the pain pretty well, if I must say so myself. Only a few screams here and there." She mused as she began to carve a pattern into Connor's chest. He gritted his teeth as she slowly cut into his skin. Leaning down, she ran her tongue through the wound, smearing his blood along her mouth and chin. "Mmmm. Maybe the girls were right, you just might be tainted. Which means, if I can go just a tad bit deeper," she hooked a thumb under his flesh, "you'll sing like a canary for me."

Connor could only let out a harsh keening sound, his throat too sore to scream anymore. He felt more of his blood bubble to the surface of his skin and ooze down his sides. As he closed his eyes he suddenly felt the pressure ease off his chest as she rose to stand over him. He began to feel sick, wondering what hell she was going to put him through next.

"Well…this-this has been fun, my pet," her voice was beginning to sound a little slurry as she spoke. "But I'm afraid that you're starting to bore me."

Connor let his eyes drift open as he stared up at the tree branches, swaying far above him. He lay there waiting, waiting for his body to give in, to allow him to drift away into a state of slumber. That would be the best thing to do right now. Not that he was giving up, just accepting what he knew was true; that he, Connor Temple, was about to die. He just wished that somebody he loved was there as he took a final breath; not this psycho _bitch_.

Closing his eyes one final time, Connor braced himself as he felt the woman lean in over him.

.

.

.

.

'Thok!'

.

.

.

Connor let out a breath he hadn't been aware that he was holding, as something large thumped down beside him in the dirt. Laying where he was, the sound of deadfall crunching underfoot reached his ears. _'Oh god,' he thought, 'the other two've come back.' _Connor mustered up enough energy to start panicking again.

"Hey, hey, hey." A soft voice said; the footsteps were even closer now. "You're going to make matters worse for yourself if you keep on thrashing like that."

A dark figure loomed over Connor, he turned his head as well as he could, trying to focus on the person beside him. His vision was too blurred and clouded by blood to make out any discernable features. The soft, feminine voice made him panic even more. Connor tried to push at her with his good arm, but he didn't have the strength.

"Just… st-stay… away!" He stuttered in between mouthfuls of air.

"Calm down, I won't hurt you, I promise." Alina said in a soothing voice. "I'm here to help, that's all."

Connor still struggled under her touch. "Damn it," she muttered as she fumbled to open the first aid kit. "Come give me a hand," she yelled over her shoulder, "he's still alive."

Danny came jogging towards them. "You know, you move a lot quicker then I though…" The word died on his lips as he suddenly recognized who was underneath all of the blood.

Connor appeared to ignore Danny, all of his attention focused on Alina as she tried to help him. It seemed that no matter how she approached him or how calmly she spoke, he still tried to push her away.

After a few more attempts, Alina had had enough of this. "Hey!" She yelled, "if you don't stop squirming and let me help you, I'm going to leave you to the _buzzards!_"

"Connor, mate, she's only trying to help." Danny saw the young man's eyes try and focus on him as he crouched beside Alina. "Everything's going to be fine, I'll make sure of it."

Once he heard a familiar voice, Connor finally started to calm down and relax.

"Thank you," Alina said as she started to examine the battered man in front of her.

Taking gauze from the first aid kit, she placed it over a deep gash in his thigh that seemed to be bleeding the heaviest. As she applied pressure to the injury, Alina began to rip open the jeans in order to get more of the bandage over the wound.

"Anything I can do?" Danny's voice sounded a bit worried.

"Take over here and put pressure on his thigh. I'll check the rest of him for bleeding."

Danny nodded as he switched places with Alina; who quickly scrambled to the other side of Connor. Holding the gauze firmly, he reapplied pressure to the wound. Connor flinched and let out a hiss of pain.

"Sorry, mate."

"S'okay," Connor struggled to keep his voice steady.

Meanwhile, Alina began peeling what was left of Connor's shirt away from his skin, revealing the pattern that was carved into his chest. _'Ah hell,'_ she thought, looking down at the pattern that was all too familiar to her. Alina squeezed her eyes shut and thought, _'I do not need this right now.'_ She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. As she did, a scent leapt from the stench of fear, death, and human blood; lodging itself firmly in her nose.

"Crap in a hat," she muttered, reaching over Connor to grab a gauze dressing from the kit.

"Come again?" Danny asked.

"I'm not sure if I can stop all the bleeding," Alina started wiping away as much of the blood as she could. "We might have to call an ambulance."

Danny nodded, grabbing another roll of bandages, he wrapped it tightly around Connor's thigh before knotting it off. Standing, he pulled out his mobile and started dialing, "Uh, Alina?"

"What?"

"How about her then?" He gestured at the women with the knife sticking out of her forehead.

"I'm not sure," Alina said as she placed gauze on Connor's chest. "Your people have some sort of clean-up unit?"

"Yeah, we do. Good thinking," Danny spoke as he held the phone to his ear.

He was still having trouble wrapping his head around the situation when Alina piped up.

"Come to think of it, we should probably hide her and the other one before the ambulance shows up."

* * *

His hand shaking, Connor managed to wipe most of the blood from his good eye. Laying back, he zoned out while he watched Alina work to staunch the bleeding. She'd managed to stick the dangling pieces of flesh back onto his chest, and was now busy rummaging around in the med kit for more bandages.

"Could have sworn we had more," she muttered. "Maybe I could..." She glanced down at the tattered remains of Connor's shirt, then at her own, less tattered, top. Shrugging, she untucked the hem and started to pull it up.

Connor gave a small choking sound. Looking at him, Alina saw that his eye was focused on her bare midriff.

"Easy there guy," she grinned at him as she removed her shirt, revealing a modest cotton vest underneath.

"Just thought," Connor coughed, "that today might have a bit of-of a silver lining, yeah?"

"Aren't you sweet," Alina started to tear her shirt into strips. "Bet you say that to all the girls trying to save your ass."

He managed a quivering smile, "just one."

"They're on their way," Danny said, snapping the phone shut. "Should be here in 10-15 minutes."

"Good," Alina said, passing him a few strips of cloth. "And once they make sure he's stable, you're taking me to see your boss. He has a _lot_ of explaining to do."

**Please let me know what you think. Review, review, review... this will make me a very happy girl and my muse will have a wonderful Christmas to boot.**

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all. :D**


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